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Thread: Taiji Practice Music

  1. #1
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    Question Practice taiji to music?

    Do many of you practice taiji to music? Have music playing in the background? I ran across and article by TT Liang and found it interesting. He mentions practicing not only to music, but to the beat of the music. I've heard of practicing with music to create an atmosphere, but he goes a bit further than that. Below is TT Liang's reason:

    =========================
    Why We Should Practice T'ai-Chi to Music
    by Master T. T. Liang


    More than one thousand years ago a Chinese monk named Chan Chung developed a method of concentration during meditation. He told people to repeat silently "What did I look like before I was born?" . . . that is, "What did I look like when I was in my mother's womb?" Later this method was handed down to Japan as Zen Dao, using the question "What is Mu (nothing)?" for concentration.

    We often say that a human's heart is like a monkey, jumping and turning around all the time, and their mind is like a horse galloping without pause. When one begins to practice meditation their heart and mind are fully occupied with short cut thoughts. When one thought is gone, it is immediately replaced by another, giving the heart and mind no chance to rest and concentrate. So monk Chan Chung used his way of concentration to cut out all the other short confused thoughts. As the question, "What did I look like before I was born?" can never be solved, you have to repeat it over and over again for a long time. Gradually your heart and mind will become peaceful and quiet, and only one thing will be left to think of—"What did I look like before I was born?" Finally you forget even the words you are concentrating on, so your heart and mind will be all empty; your body will be completely relaxed; the ch'i will sink and abide in the tan-tien, and the blood will circulate through the whole body without hindrance. It is good for the health, and also the way to metamorphose into a Buddha.

    It is the same with practicing T'ai-Chi. In T'ai-Chi the ascent to the highest level is divided into four steps:

    1. When beginning the practice of T'ai-Chi, you will have to memorize the number of beats, the directions, the practical uses of each posture and the ten guiding points as described in my book. You will breathe naturally, and will not use music.
    2. After you have mastered all the points mentioned above, you will have to use beats, music and breathing (proper methods of inhaling and exhaling) for concentration, and get rid of all the rest.
    3. At the next stage you will use only music for concentration and skip the others.
    4. After practicing T'ai-Chi with music for a sufficient time you will forget the music, the movements, even yourself—although you are proceeding as usual. At this stage you are in a trance; your five attributes (form, perception, consciousness, action and knowledge) are all empty: this is meditation in action and action in meditation. When you finish and come to the end of the postures, suddenly you are back. Where have I been? What have I been doing? I don't know and I don't remember. This is complete relaxation of body and mind—truly good for your health, and also the way to immortality.

    Of course if one can reach the highest level while practicing T'ai-Chi without music, so much the better. But I cannot do it because I am a human being, an ordinary ignorant person with heart like a monkey and mind like a horse. So I must use music as a means of concentration, as a stepping stone to the highest level of T'ai-Chi.

    I have been learning and practicing T'ai-Chi with music for more than thirty-five years. After the first five years I though I knew everything and started to criticize this man as no good, that man as no good, and to consider only myself as really good. After another ten years of learning and practicing I began to realize that I knew only a little. Instead of criticizing others I started to criticize only myself, because I was not qualified to criticize others with my superficial smattering of knowledge—and besides, I had no time for criticizing others. After continuously practicing and painstakingly learning from teachers, books and Classics, and seriously criticizing myself for another twenty years, I understood that I was not qualified and dared not to criticize others because the more I practiced, the more I wanted to learn from teachers, books and Classics; and the more I learned, the less I felt I knew. The theory and philosophy of T'ai-Chi are so profound and abstruse, and the functional use is so subtle and ingenious that I must continue studying and practicing T'ai-Chi with music forever and ever. It is the only way to improve and better myself.

    I like music, especially soft music, because it is in a human being's nature. It can relieve one's tension and anxiety, produce happiness and relaxation, improve harmony and coordination.

    I have been teaching and practicing T'ai-Chi with music for thirty years. During these thirty years I have taught in many universities, colleges and high schools and have had thousands of students study with me. They all say that T'ai-Chi with music is good, and they have all benefited from it because they are human beings and to like music is in their nature. If T'ai-Chi with music were no good and were extraneous to the essence of T'ai-Chi I would have disappeared from this world thirty years ago. I am now eighty-one; I am still living and enjoying perfect health because as a human being I like music and have chosen to continue practicing T'ai- Chi with music and have chosen to continue practicing T'ai-Chi with music to prolong my life.
    ====================

    Source: http://www.tctaichi.com/articles/liang_music.htm

    Kind of made me wonder What do you think?
    A.

  2. #2
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    Our school follows the tradition of T.T. Liang here in Alaska. We are directly in his linneage and the music->taichi tradition is one we all seem to enjoy.

  3. #3
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    Hippys!!!


    Why bother "training" in tai chi at all when you could sit at home smoking weed listening to that same so called music?
    LOL.. really, what else did you hear?.. did you hear that he was voted Man of the Year by Kung-Fu Magizine?

  4. #4
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    Hi Nexus..

    I recently found a school that is also part of the TT Liang lineage where I am located, Minnesota. At first, when I observed and tried a class, I initially thought the beat counting was a bit distracting. I've heard of doing taiji with music in the background to set the atmosphere, but never really "to the beat". I also found it interesting how each movement takes a certain number of beat so execute and such. I guess I just found it different b/c my previous taiji training has been in "beijing PRC" taiji like the 24 movement and the 48 movement form. I guess this could be considered one of Liang's things that he's added to his taiji. I think perhaps I should let down my preconceptions and give it a try. I guess I need to try and keep a "beginner's mind"

    A.

  5. #5
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    Actually, music is an integral part of not just Taijiquan but many other combative traditions around the world.

    Muay Thai, capoeira, certain types of Japanese karate, Southern Chinese kung fu demonstrations - all use music while training.

    Or if you go into any gym nowadays, you see guys blasting music on boomboxes as they work out. The music helps keep them focused on what they are doing and also blocks out distractions.

    Between Thailand, Brazil, Japan, China, and the rest of the world that works out, that's A LOT OF WEED TO SMOKE, Liokault.

  6. #6
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    I prefer to concentrate on developing my own pace of breathing while doing my forms, and find music to be distracting.

    For wailing on a punching bag or freeweights or whatever, that's different.
    All my fight strategy is based on deliberately injuring my opponents. -
    Crippled Avenger

    "It is the same in all wars; the soldiers do the fighting, the journalists do the shouting, and no true patriot ever get near a front-line trench, except on the briefest of propoganda visits...Perhaps when the next great war comes we may see that sight unprecendented in all history, a jingo with a bullet-hole in him."

    First you get good, then you get fast, then you get good and fast.

  7. #7
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    Prolly a really good idea but still gets a 9.5 on the wusse meter.
    " Better to be a warrior in the garden than a gardner at war."
    "Ni hao darlins!" - wujidude
    "I just believe that qi is real and good body mechanics have been masquerading as internal power for too long." - omarthefish

  8. #8
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    Go into any weightlifting joint where they play music and say that, guohen.

    The guys there won't like that too much.

  9. #9
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    Hi Chang..

    I agree with what you said about distraction and such, but if felt a little different doing the form when everyone was synchronized... kinda interesting in my mind.

    A.

  10. #10
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    Between Thailand, Brazil, Japan, China, and the rest of the world that works out, that's A LOT OF WEED TO SMOKE, Liokault.

    Your right but im sure that the so called Tai Chi guys are taking up all the spare weed that all the other stylists are to busy doing real actual training to smoke.
    LOL.. really, what else did you hear?.. did you hear that he was voted Man of the Year by Kung-Fu Magizine?

  11. #11
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    Greetings..

    Music, no music.. just a matter of preference.. I don't sense that the founders of Tai Chi had Bose Surround Sound systems driving their creativity (but, what if they had!!).. Personally, i practice both ways depending on my mood.. One downfall of music, though.. is that some people depend on it, don't feel right without their "special" music.. I suggest that we keep our options open, and our predjudices closed.

    On several occasions i have been fortunate to practice where a gifted Oriental Flute player improvised with the form we were doing.. he seemed to sense our energy and his own musical energy complimented the practice nicely.. Other times, Nature provides its own "music", just relax and "listen".

    I think this this is the "little stuff" we're not supposed to sweat..
    Be well..
    TaiChiBob.. "the teacher that is not also a student is neither"

  12. #12
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    Smile

    That was a joke Kai, chill Bro.
    " Better to be a warrior in the garden than a gardner at war."
    "Ni hao darlins!" - wujidude
    "I just believe that qi is real and good body mechanics have been masquerading as internal power for too long." - omarthefish

  13. #13
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    Thumbs up practicing taiji to music

    i do my tai chi to soulfly.
    It makes me mad when people say I turned and ran like a scared rabbit. Maybe it was like an angry rabbit, who was going to fight in another fight, away from the first fight.

  14. #14
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    China has many elderly people who practice Taijiquan for health and relaxation benefits.

    Many of those people practice to music. My grandmother was able to improve her overall health by practicing Taijiquan this way.

    THAT is "real actual training" - and my grandmother's improved ability to walk was as real as any sparring I've ever seen.

  15. #15
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    Post Practicing taichi to music(helpful or not?)

    In the realm of Tai-chi we see various methods of practice such as setting the environment or "mood" in which to practice your meditation.

    Some say that Silemce is best for it helps you to focus inward without any distractions. Others say that practicing your taichi to calm music or in an environment with an audible background helps to relax your movements.

    Either way works, i feel, and i was wondering what the practitioners here listen to if in fact they DO thier form to music.

    for example i utilize ambient soundworld music at times:
    "structures from silence" by Steve Roach
    " Atmospheric conditions" by Steve Roach


    Many respects,,,The Willow Sword
    It makes me mad when people say I turned and ran like a scared rabbit. Maybe it was like an angry rabbit, who was going to fight in another fight, away from the first fight.

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